Power And Language Flashcards
English language and power
According to linguist Shânwareing (1999), there are three main types of power:
Political power - power held by people with authority, such as politicians and
•
Personal power - power based on an individual’s occupation or role in society. the police. For example, a headteacher would likely hold more power than a teaching
•
Social group power - power held by a group of people due to certain social
assistant. factors, such as class, ethnicity, gender, or age.
Three types of power
Shanwareing
Instrumental power
declarative statements: e.g. “in todays class we will be looking at….”
• Formal register
Imperative sentences - giving requests, demands, or advice
Modal verbs - e.g., ‘you should’; ‘you must’
•Mitigation - using language to reduce the seriousness of what is being said
• Conditional sentences - e.g., if you don’t respond sOon, further action will be
taken.”
Latinate words - words derived from or imitating Latin
Influential power
Influential power refers to when a person (or group of people) does not have any authority but is trying to gain power and influence over others. Those who wish to gain infuential power may use language to persuade others to believe in them or support them. This type of power is often found in politics, the media, and marketing.
Features of influential power:
Assertions: presenting opinions as facts e.g. we all know England is the best country in the world
Metaphors: the use of established metaphors can reassure the audience and evoke the power of memory, establishing a bond between the speaker and the listener
Loaded language: language that can evoke strong emotions and/or exploit feelings
Embedded assumptions: e.g. assuming the listener is really interested in what the speaker has to say
Examples of language and power
Media
The news
Advertising
Politics
Speeches
Education
Law
Religion
Rhetoric
Persuasiveness
Strategies used in political rhetoric
Repetition
Rule of three - e.g., Tony Blaire’s ‘Education, Education, Education’ policy
Use of 1st person plural pronouns - we’, ‘us’; e.g., the Queen’s use of the
royal ‘we’
Hyperbole - exaggeration
Rhetorical questions
Leading questions - e.g., ‘you don’t want your country to be run by a clown,
do you?’
Changes in tone and intonation
Use of lists
.
Using imperative verbs - verbs used to create imperative sentences, e.g., ‘act
now’ or ‘speak up’
Use of humour
Tautology - saying the same thing twice but using different words to do so, e.g.,
it’s 7 am in the morning’
Prevarication - not answering direct questions
who
Lexical choice
Emotive language: emotive adjectives such as “sickening, unimaginable, repulsive”
Figurative language: metaphors, similes, personification
Forms of address: some may call others by first name but expect to be addressed with higher authority
Synthetic personalisation: fairclough - about how powerful institutes address the masses as individuals to create a sense of friendliness
Grammar
Interrogatives
Modal verbs: e.g. you must
Imperative sentences
Phonology
Alliteration
Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds
Rising and falling intonation
Fairclough language and power
We should do DISCOURSE ANALYSIS to see if language is reflective of power dynamics and if power dynamics are being used
Goffman
Facework theory
Brown and Levinson
Politeness principle works align with goffman
Sinclair and coulthard
Initiation response feedback model
Describe power relations
What happens is :
One in power initiates
I’m not in power responds
One in power provides feedback
Grice
Cooperative principle
Grices maxims
Maxim of quality
Maxim of quantity
Maxim of relevance
Maxim of manner
Flouting of maxims can provide power e.g. irony, using vocabulary you know your listener won’t understand
Only talk about grice when maxims are broken
